“Her Highest Praises Were Mocking Insults”—What It’s Like Growing Up With a Narcissist for a Parent

“My narcissistic mother made me feel so ignorant that until I was in my 20s, I believed I might be mentally retarded and everyone knew but me. As an adult, I found myself in abusive relationships. My friendships were no better: I did all the work while they humiliated or used me. My advice to others with a narcissistic parent? Get some distance, be it physical or just taking a break from the relationship. Read books by experts, reevaluate every relationship in your life to see if it’s 50-50 and there’s real love involved. I literally got out the dictionary to look up love! It’s so simple but I realized my parents did not love me.…Some parents don’t have the DNA to love their children.” —Amanda